hoffmann



(No Model.)

A. W. HOFPMANN. CHRISTMAS TREE CANDLE HOLDER.

No. 581,725. Paterved May 4, 1897.

INVENTOH Fl lCE,

ALFRED XV. HOFFMANN, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EMIL R. HOFFMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

CHRISTMAS-TREE CANDLE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,725, dated May 4, 1897. Application filed January 21, 1897. Serial No. 620,012. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. HOFFMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing-in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Christmas-Tree Candle-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the candle-holder for Christmas trees for which Letters Patent were granted to me heretofore N0. 57%,356, dated December 29, 1896, said improvements being designed with the view of preventing the dripping of wax on the floor and carpets in a very effective manner; and the invention consists of a candle-holder composed of a dripcup provided with a flaring flange, spring-jaws below said drip-cu p provided with wave-like corrugations, means for interlocking; said sprin g-shanks below the d rip-cup, radial arms extending from the said shanks above the locking means over the drip cup, springprongs extending from the arms above said drip'cup, and an auxiliary supporting-plate for the candle that is attached to said springprongs by means of bent lugs and provided with upwardly-bent lugs forming a socket, which frm,with the upper ends of the springprongs, a socket for the lower end of the candle, from which the drip of the candle is dropped into the drip-cup.

The invention consists, further, of providing the spring-prongs of the candle-holder at their lower ends with an additional locking device for use when extra-firm attachment of the candle-holder is required.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a twig of a Christmas tree, showing two forms of my improved candle-holder thereon. Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of the two forms of candle-holder shown in Fig. 1 drawn on a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, on line i i, Fig. 2, showing the supporting-plate of the candle and the dripeup drawn on a larger scale; and Figs. 5 and 6 are top views of two different blanks for the candle-supporting plates.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the drip-cup of my improved candle-holder for Christmas trees, which drip-cup is made of suitable sheet metal or other suitable material and is preferably provided with a number of scalloped ribs a. Below the drip-cup A are arranged two corrugated spring-jaws 13 .B, which are made of wire of suitable thickness, which is formed in a loop and bent in an outward direction at its lower end. The spring-jaws B B are twisted together above their corrugated portions or provided with a suitable ferrule or locked together in any other manner. The shanks of the springjaws B 13 are bent below the drip-cup in outward directions, so as to form radial arms C, which are passed over the scalloped edge of the drip-cup A, then in an inwardly-inclined direction to some distance above the same, where they are formed into spring-prongs D, which are in turn provided with helicallybent middle portions d. The helical portion of each spring-prong D overlaps the correspondingly-bent middle portion of the adjacent spring-prong, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and The upper ends of the spring-prongs D are bent first in an inward direction and then in an outward direction, so as to permit the easy introduction of the candle between the heli- 8o cally bent middle portion of the springprongs D, as shown in Fig. l. The corrugated spring-jaws B B, the shanks C, the outwardly-bent arms C, and the he1icallybent spring-prongs D are formed of two integrally U-shaped wires of suitable length, to which the proper shape is imparted by means of suitable dies, so that they can be readily assembled and applied to the drip-cup A and twisted or locked together at the shank.

The parts so far described are shown and described in my prior patent referred to and in the pending application for a candle-holder, Serial No. 616,603, filed December 22, 1896, and I do not desire to claim in this application any of the features so far described.

The novel feature of my improved candleholder is the arrangement of a candle-supporting plate E at some distance above the dripcup, said plate being preferably made of disk Ioo shape and of suitable sheet metal and provided at its circumference with as m any bent lugs e as there are spring-prongs D. hen the candle-holder is made with three springprongs, the supporting-plate is provided with three lugs c. When four spring-prongs are employed, the plate E is provided with four lugs e. These lugs are bent around the inwardly-inclined lower portions of the springprongs, so as to be supported thereon and form a supporting-plate for the lower end of the candle-holder when the same is inserted into the socket formed by the helical portions of the spring-prongs D. The helical portions give sufficiently, so as to firmly hold the candle, which is pushed down on the plate E. The supporting-plate E may be provided at its circumference, intermediate between the curved lugs c, with outwardly-bent lugs e, which complete the supporting-socket for the candle, but these lugs can be dispensed with, as they are not absolutely necessary. The supporting-plate E is'supported ata sufficient distance from the drip-cup, so that the wax that drips from the candle is collected on the drip-cup and immediately cooled off, as the distance between the supporting-plate E and the drip-cup Ais such that no heat is imparted to the drip-cup, as the only connection between the supporting-plate and the drip-cup are the inclined lower portions of the springprongs. larger than the supporting-plate E, which latter corresponds to the thickness of the candle, the wax dropped is caught by the drip-cup, whether the candle-holder is in vertical or inclined position, so that thereby the candle is not only supported sufficiently above the drip-cup, whereby a better appearance is imparted to the candle-holder, but also constructed in such a manner that the wax is collected by the drip-cup and prevented from dropping on the floor, carpet, or table.

In some cases it is necessary, especially when the candle-holder is applied to the smaller or exposed limbs of the Christmas tree, that a positive locking action of the spring-jaws on the limb should be exerted. For this purpose in place of the lower outwardly-flaring ends of the spring-jaws B B the lower ends of the same are twisted together, as shown in Fig. 3, one of them being formed in the shape of a hookband the other in the shape of a straight tong b, which latter may be locked by pressing the parts b I) together below the limb, by which locking action the spring-jaws are pressed with extra As the drip-cup is made considerably force on the limb and any liability of a change in position of the candle-holder avoided.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A Christmas-tree candle-holder composed of a suitable drip-cup, means for attaching the drip-cup to the supportingdimb, radial arms extending over said drip-cup, spring-pron gs extending from said radial arms and adapted to form a socket above said dripcup, and a supporting-plate provided with lugs for attachment to said spring-prongs, said supporting-plate being located some distance above the drip-cup, substantially as set forth.

2. A Christmas-tree candle-holder, composed of a drip-cup, corrugated spring-jaws below said drip-cup, means for locking the shanks of the spring-jaws, radial arms extendingfrom said shanks over the drip-cup, spring-prongs extending from said radial arms above the drip-cup, and a supportingplate attached to the spring-prongs, substantially as set forth.

3. A Christmas-tree candle-holder, composed of a drip-cup, spring-jaws below said drip-cup and provided with corrugated lower portions, means for locking the shanks of the spring-jaws together, radial arms extending from the upper ends of said shanks over the drip-cup, spring-prongs extending from said radial arms above the drip-cup, and a supporting-plate attached by means of curved lugs to the inclined lower portions of the spring-pron gs, said plate being provided with upright lugs, substantially as set forth.

4:. A Christmas-tree candle-holder, composed of a drip-cup having a circumferential flange, corrugated spring jaws below said drip-cup, means for locking the shanks of said spring-jaws together, radial arms extending from the shanks over the drip-cup, and springprongs forming a socket above said drip-cup, said spring-j aws being provided at theirlower ends respectively with a hook and interlocking tongue for being applied with extra pressure to the supporting-limb, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED w. I-IOFFMANN.

\Vitnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, GEO. W. JAEKEL. 

